Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-02-12
A VETO.
President Cleveland Notifies the House
by Message that He Disapproves
Their Last Pension Bill.
The Pension Bills Passed for ReyeIu-
tiOnary and War CT 1872 Soldiers
Reviewed at Some Length.
Were The Isill Law 1t Would he Impos-
sible to Limit It's Benefactiors as
Should be Done,

WASHINGTON, Feb. II The following
is the text Of the Presidents message We
toing the dependent parents pension bill
To the House of Representatives:
herewith return without my approval
House bill No. lO,457 entitled: can act
for the relief of dependent parents and
hOnorably discharged soldiers snd sailors
who are now disabled and dependent
upon their own labor for support" This
is the first general bill thathas been sane
toned by Congress since the close Of the
late civil war permitting pensions to
soldiers and sailors who served in that
war upon the grounds of service and
present disability alone, and the entire
absence of any injuries received
| by the casualties or incidents Of
such service, while by almost constant
legislation since the close of this war
| there mas been compensation awarded for
every possible injury received as result
of military service in the Union army, and
while the great number of laws passed
| for that purpose have been administered
with great liberal,ty and have been sup
plemented BY mum, rous private acts to
reach special cases, there has not until
now been departure from the principles
| thus far adhered to respecting Union sold
lers, that the bounty OF the government
in the way of pensions is generously
bestowed vixen granted to those who in
this military service 6nd in the line Of
military duty have 10 a greater or less eX-
/ tent been disabled. But it is q mistake
| to suppose that the service pensions such
es are permitted by the second section of
the bill under consideration, are new to
our legislation. In 1878, tnirtv-tive years
after the close of the revolutionary war,
there were granted to soldiers en-
gagged in tnat struggle condi-
tlOnal upon service until the end
OF the war, or term not less than nine
months, and requiring every beneficiary
under the act to be one "WhC is, or here
after, by reason Of his reduced circum-
stances in life, shall be in need Of assist
auce from his country for support"
Another law OF like character was passed
in 1928, requiring service until the close
of the revolutionary war, and still an
other passed 1882 provided for those
persons not included in the previous
statute, but who served two wears at some
time during the war, and giving proper
tionate sum to those who had served
not less than six months. service
pension law was passed for the benefit of
the soldiers of 1872 in the year 1871, fifty
one years after the close Of that war,
which required only sixty days service,
and another was passed in 1878, sixty
thrt e years after the war, requiring only
fourteen days service. The service pen
sion bill passed at this session of Con-
gress, thir y-nine years after the close of
the Mexican war for the benefit of the
soldiers of that war, required some de-
greco disability or dependency or that the
claimant under its provisions should be
siXty-two years of age, and in either
case he should have served sixty DAYS or
been actually engaged in battle II will
be seen that the bill of 1918 and the Mex
lean pension bill being thus passed nearer
the close OF the wars IN which It's bene tic-
idries were engaged than the others
thir.y-tiye years, and the other thirty
nine Years after. such wars, embraced
persons who were quite advanced in age,
assumed TO Ue comparatively few il num-
Der and WlGse circumstances depend
ence and disabilities We're clearly de
lined and could be quite easily fixed. The
other laws referred to appear to have
been passed at time SO remote
from the military service of the persons
which they embraced that their extreme
age alone was deemed necessary to sup
ply presumption of dependency and
need. The number of enlistments in the
revolutionary War is stated to be 3O9, 79l,
and in the war of 1912, SIC, 60; but it is
estimated that on account of the repeated
re-enlistments the number Of individuals
engaged in these wars did not exceed
onehal the number represented by the
figures. In the w6r with Mexico the
number of enlistments is reported to
be III 260, which represents
a greater proportion of
the individuals engaged than
the reported enlistments of the two
previous wars. The number Of pensions
granted under all laws to soldiers of the
revolution is given at 60 ,069; to soldiers
Of the war of 1872 and widows,
30, 178; and to soldiers of the Mexican
war and their widows up to June 80,
1885, 1919. This number Of pensions was
granted to the soldiers of war involving
much hardship for disabilities incurred as
4 result Of such service, and it Was not
until within the last month that the few
NClC 1CNdlucu Will
/ service pension.
The war of the rebellion terminated
nearly twenty-five years ago. The num-
Der of men furnished for it's prosecution
was 2,772. 408. No corresponding number
0f statutes have ever been passed to
cover every kind of injury or disability
incurred in the military service of any
other war. Under these statutes SCI, $40
pensions have been granted from the
year 1861 to June 80, 1886, and more than
900 pensioners have been added to the
soldiers by private acts passed to meet
;ases, many OF them of questionable
merit, which the general laws did not
,over. On the lsJ Gay of July, 1886,
'65,163 pensioners of all classes
we're upon the pension rolls, OF whom
'O5, sos were survivors Of the war of the
'ebelhon and their widows and depend
,nts. For the year ending January so,
6S7, s75. 600, O00 have been appropriated
or the payment of pensions, and the
amount expended for that purpose from